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A thick and tasty sauce.

Though I tend to make most of my meals 'from scratch' I still cheat when it comes to a tomato sauce or a passata. I'm not a fresh tomato fan and while I have tried to make tomato sauces in the past I don't anymore as they taste too fresh 'tomatoey'. Terrible I know! I use passatas in so many meals - everything from bolognese and pasta to curry, pizza, lasagne and chilli con carne.

Sometimes if a tomato based sauce is on offer and cheaper than a passata I will try it instead as a base for a change which is what happened in this case. Shopping in Sainsbury's one day a while ago I came across the Lloyd Grossman sauces on offer buy one get one free - £1.90 for a 350g jar normally, I paid that for two and purchased two of the tomato and chilli one as I do like a chilli kick in most meals if I can help it!

The sauce is in a large glass jar with a white label. The label has a picture of Lloyd Grossman, his name and the nutritional information all contained on it.

Like most tomato based sauces it is quite healthy - low fat and low calorie. A serving also contains one of your five a day and is suitable for vegetarians. The label also notes that once open the sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to three days.

Using the sauce in the most basic way with pasta the flavour of tomatoes completely overpowers the chilli. You can detect the flavour of chilli, but certainly not any kind of 'burn' or heat with it. The garlic is not strong and despite the sauce being flecked with plenty of parsley pieces the tomato overpowers the flavour of the herb too. You can detect the lemon juice which cuts through the tomato flavour just enough to be tasted and is pleasant.

As mentioned earlier I have used this sauce in multiple dishes. I like it in bolognese and lasagne and have even used it as a tomato base for pizza and the sauce is thick enough to hold its own on a pizza and tastes very nice on a homemade pizza too. I do tend to add more chilli to it when I use it as a sauce for bolognese and the like.

Overall it is a nice sauce that I do purchase when on offer.

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One to leep in the cupboard

I normally cook my own sauces but for a quick meal I do like using this Loyd Grossman Sauce.The sauce comes in a clear, glass jar with a red lid. The label holds a photograph of Lloyd Grossman himself with a spoon - giving the impression he is just about to taste the sauce. The label is simple but eye-catching and informative.As stated on the jar by the man himself - "I like the way the sun ripened tomatoes marry with the fiery red chillies in this sauce." I would have to agree the sweet taste of the tomatoes is enhanced by the slightly hot chillies. I don't like my food hot at all and the sauce is more tomatoes than hot/spicy

The sauce is has a very appetising look to it. The sauce is thick and dark red, the tomato and garlic smell hits you once the lid is off. It knocks socks off any other jarred sauces I have tasted and offers a professional taste to it.

The ingredients of the sauce is by no means extensive - are tomato paste, sunflower and olive oil, garlic puree, sugar, salt, parsley and lemon juice. You can easily make this sauce at home cheaper and healthier (leave out the sugar)

A 350g jar retails at £1.80 but can often be found on offer for £1.00.

If you are looking for a quick meal one of my favourites with this sauce is - King Prawns with onions and peppers sliced covered with a jar of this and spaghetti stirred in. Add extra chilli if you like it hot...mmm!!

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A tasty sauce for an easy dinner

I have tried a few of Loyd Grossman's cooking sauces, and this one is my favourite.

It comes in a glass jar with a red lid, and a black and white photo on the label of the man himself pretending to taste, sorry I mean, tasting the delicious sauce he would like to make us think he has just made himself *cough*

According to Loyd: "I like the way the sun ripened tomatoes marry with the fiery red chillies in this sauce."

Hmmm... do you, Loyd? The sauce is 75% tomatoes and what tastes like very little chilli. It undoubtedly has a bit of a kick to it, but it's not overly spicy - and I say that as someone who can't handle their spicy food at all.

However, because of the chilli content I do find this a bit strange to pour over pasta. It tastes nice with pasta no doubt, but I much prefer it with rice. I usually make it with a chicken breast and plain boiled rice as it makes a substantial and filling meal that is quick and easy to make.

The sauce is thick and a deep, dark red colour. When cooking, the tomatoey, garlicky smell of it fills the kitchen and it does give you the sense of a rich, Italian sauce bubbling over in a big rustic pot, rather than something from a jar that you have just thrown into a saucepan.

It contains garlic puree which I think comes across stronger in the taste than the chillies do, and the sauce's thickness gives the impression that it's full of healthy veggies, yet aside from tomato and chilli, the only other ingredients are tomato paste, sunflower and olive oil, garlic puree, sugar, salt, parsley and lemon juice.

If you were so inclined, I'm sure you could easily make a great tomato and chilli pasta sauce yourself, but for a quick fix this is tasty and filling - the tomatoes taste rich, juicy and zingy.

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This is a Loyd Grossman big let down!

I do love a good cook in sauce. I particularly like premium brand ones and don't mind paying a bit extra for them if need and to me this is one of them although I got this on offer in Asda and it only cost a pound!

The Packaging:

Glass see-through jar that has a red screw on/off lid to the top of it and a label around its middle with a photograph of Loyd Grossman on it and I'm told that it is indeed Loyd Grossman Tomato & Chilli 'I like the way the sun ripened tomatoes marry with the fiery red chillis in this sauce'. Other information listed on the jar includes ingredients and a nutritional chart being shown, cooking instructions are given, the size is stated (which is 350g in this case) and contact details for The Premier Food Group (the manufacturer of this product) are given. Nice informative looking jar this is and simple in its approach!

Using It:

Well this is a thick dark reddish sauce and designed originally to be heated through and thrown over cooked pasta. However this is a very versatile sauce and on the jar we are given a suggestion to substitute a can of tomato's with this in chilli con carne for a change.

Since the first jar I have used of this (my flatmate got another when she nipped shopping and forget we had tried it) I have now used it a couple of ways.

I did make a chilli con carne and did use this instead of tomatoes first off.

This sauce is tomatoey and sweet but in a very natural way though for me far too sweet.. It's well seasoned but although containing both red chilli and dried red chillis I didn't find it one bit spicy at all and all I could really taste was tomatoes and I felt that it made minced been in a tomato sauce rather than anything else and me, my flatmate and my friends daughter couldn't recognise this as a chilli con carne. I simply couldn't detect any heat running through this at all and neither could they.

All I can say for it is that it wasn't a cheap runny sauce and no one can quibble that this is a quality sauce because it actually is.

After using the first jar and me not being keen on it I was dubious about using it again to be honest. This time though I cooked some pasta and fried off some vegetables and then added this to the lot of that. This time for me it tasted better but still it was a sweet tomato sauce mix with no heat and my flatmate agreed that she wouldn't describe this as having chillis in it at all.

Not for me this one, I don't like tomato sauce sauces and find this far too plain for me and my taste-buds!

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Loyd Grossman Tomato & Chilli Cooking Sauce

Who makes a sauce like this??

He's better known as the presenter of Through the Keyhole but did you know that Loyd Grossman also makes pasta sauces? He offers quite a few different flavours such as regular bolognese, tomato and basil as well as some curry sauces.

Talking about this particular flavour Loyd says, "I like the way the sun ripened tomatoes marry with the fiery red chillies in this sauce." It's a really lovely golden red colour and quite thick. The sauce has quite a nice consistency, thick without being too chunky. You can definitely tell that there are a lot of chopped vegetables in this sauce and it is definitely not bland. It is obviously a tomato based sauce and the tomatoes in this are blended but quite chunky too so you get a lovely thick taste. To me the best part are the tomatoes as they are lovely and juicy and ripe. You can see the chilli pips in this sauce too and it does definitely give the flavour quite a kick without being too spicy and overpowering. Loyd goes on to say that, "Creating a great pasta sauce is all about the details; like the way two different chillies have been used to create the heat and flavour in this sauce.

Each jar serves two people I would say, when you pour it over pasta or mince. I think it makes a wonderful spaghetti sauce. The great thing about this sauce is that it's quick and easy, all you have to do is cook some meat or pasta, throw over the sauce, heat it up and you are ready to go.

The jar itself contains 425g. Per 100g there are only 88 calories which I think is quite a small amount. Like I said above if you have half a jar, say 200g, then that's only about 176 calories for your portion which in my opinion is not that bad and definitely better than some other ready made sauces out there. The other great thing about this sauce is that as well as being suitable for vegetarians it is also suitable for vegans, gluten free, lactose free and wheat free so just about anybody can eat it.

The jar itself is quite snazzy looking, I think it's got quite an upmarket look. It has a picture of Loyd tasting the sauce and a statement from him which reads, "I love food and believe great food comes from care and attention to detail. That's why I insist on tasting every recipe until it's just right." I definitely think he got this recipe just right so well done Loyd.

Loyd has a website linked with his sauces where you can find recipes and product information plus more which definitely helps in cooking and planning meals. The address is www.loydgrossmansauces.co.uk

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Make your own.

I don't usually purchase Loyd Grossman sauces because I think that they seem expensive and I am on a budget. However these sauces were on offer in Tesco's this week -they were priced at £1.58 but they were on 'buy one get one free,' so I decided to treat myself because they do look tasty.

****************** Packaging and Availability ****************

These sauces come in 350g jars - which feeds two to three people.

The label looks quite sophisticated - it has Grossman's face on it and the label is predominantly black and white - which a splash of red.

There are a number of sauces in the Loyd Grossman range, including Italian, Indian and Oriental sauces.

I have seen the Loyd Grossman range in most of the major supermarkets and this particular sauce - Tomato & Chilli Cooking Sauce seems to be quite widely stocked.

I was looking forward to trying this sauce and the list of ingredients are natural so I expected it to be delicious. However, although it was very tasty as I expected and it certainly wasn't anything special.

There are medium sized chunks of tomato in the jar and I could taste the black pepper within the product.

You can taste the chilli flavours - but it isn't too overpowering. I like spicy food but I found this sauce rather mild - so I think it would appeal to most people's taste buds.

I did find it a little bit too oily, however the oil sits at the top of the sauce, so if you wanted you could remove this with a table spoon.

*********************** Overall ************************

This sauce typically costs £1.57 per jar, which is extortionate in my opinion. This sauce is full of good products, however it would be really easy to make a similar sauce at a fraction of the price. So buy some chopped tomartoes, chilli, black pepper and lemon and make your own, because on this occasion I think you're paying solely for the Loyd Grossman name.

Two out of five stars.

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Delicious with a cheeky spicy kick

I think the thing that convinced me to invest in a jar of this sauce is that Loyd Grossman is endorsing it and I trust him. Plus, it's regularly in a buy one get one free deal in my local Co op, and affordable even at full price.

It's pretty hot- my boyfriend says it's too hot for him- but I think it's just right, rich and tomatoey, but not overpowering, with a delicious spicy kick.

I'm impressed by the simplicity of the ingredients, there are no nasties in the jar - 75% tomatoes with a few other bits (such as chilli, sugar, garlic and basil) that you might feasibly include in your own homemade pasta sauce. It's vegan, and gluten, egg and wheat free, though it may contain traces of nuts.

I like how the sauce is widely available, for not much money, providing a highly convenient option for those nights when you want something tasty, fast. With the added bonus that it tastes really quite expensive. And when I'm eating it I like to imagine that Loyd himself is sitting in his own house doing the same thing.

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Highly recommended

You know how it is when you've got little time to prepare a meal and you're scouting round the kitchen for something fast? Well that's the reason I often have one of these sauces in the cupboard. They are fast and convenient and make a tasty meal when added to pasta or as the jar suggests, meat or vegetables. I don't think I've ever been in a supermarket that doesn't stock Loyd Grossman sauces, even Lidl have them! The sauces vary in price and some are just over £2 but this one was £1.75. I'm sure they used to be more expensive than this as I used to wait until they were on offer before I bought any.

The jar is 350g and I think this is only really enough to serve 2 people on pasta but more if you add it to meat or vegetables and have pasta or potatoes alongside it. The contents do need a shake before you use them as the oil separates from the tomatoes.

The tomato and chilli sauce boasts sun-ripened tomatoes with garlic and fiery red chillies and this made me wonder if it would be too hot for me. I don't really do spicy food and if we have an Indian takeout I have the weakest curry I can find whereas my partner usually has a madras and if I taste his madras it leaves me with eyes watering and rushing for a drink so spice isn't really my thing! With that in mind and seeing the word "fiery" on the front it did concern me but it shouldn't have.

The sauce is a bit oily, very tomatoey with chunks of tomato here and there and the chilli aspect is actually pretty mild. For me this works well but if someone bought this expecting a very hot sauce they would be disappointed. There are some small chunks of chillies in the sauce and a few seeds but it's a very nice consistency and coats the pasta very easily. The garlic is probably stronger than the chilli taste and I could really taste garlic afterwards, and I suspect everyone else could smell it the next day!

As for nutritional statistics it has per 100g: 88 calories, 1.7g protein, 7.3g carbohydrates of which 6.7g sugars, 5.7g fat of which 0.7g saturates, 0.9g fibre and 0.5g of sodium. So it's not that bad really, even with half a jar per person it's not bad for you if you have it as a main meal. Added to pasta it makes a healthy meal because obviously pasta is good for you unless you smother it in creamy sauces and this one isn't a creamy one.

This is produced in a factory that handles peanuts, nuts and sesame seeds so nut allergy sufferers shouldn't try this. It is of course suitable for vegetarians and has a little section of text suggesting adding this to beans to eat with grilled chicken which does sound nice actually! For recipe ideas you can visit www.loydgrossman.co.uk.

Overall I really liked this sauce, it wasn't "fiery" and was just slightly hot from the chillies. The combination of garlic, tomatoes and chilli flavours made for a warming, satisfying meal and it wasn't bad for us either! I will definitely continue to buy these sauces as they are so quick and convenient. A full 5 stars from me.

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A delicious sauce with a kick of chilli to add taste to your pasta.

This is my favourite LG Sauce from the Italian based range. It has a really substantial taste, is full of chunky bits of tomato and has a decent kick of chilli without being too overpowering. The consistency is similar to a home cooked sauce, in that you can actually see what vegetables are in there.

I add this sauce to filled pasta, some stir fried red / green peppers and red onion and throw in a sliced up smoked sausage and, voila, an easy, nutritious supper for the family. It also works equally well with plain pasta.

I would say that the jar contains enough for 3 people but could stretch to 4 if you're adding other ingredients. In my opinion, the LG range has a number of good sauces, which if you haven't the time or inclination to start from scratch, are a good substitute.

If you visit the Loyd Grosman website and leave feedback on the product you have used, you receive money off vouchers to future purchases.